Women and Contraception.....

Being a partnered in the real world is a responsible commitment that brings forward many issues that must be explored and decided upon jointly. But this is not just not a partnered issue it is a “are you sexually active” issue. In the biological part of the relationship there must be a shared responsibility with the concern of pregnancy. The old school of thought that the woman can just get on oral birth-control medication is just that, an old-school thought. With evidence that there are long-term problems with hormone binding, and that there are a list of possible side effects that come with oral contraception for women, this options seems to be more “man friendly” than otherwise. 

If you are in childbearing years, and are sexually active, there needs to be several important considerations before sex. There are sexually transmitted infections/diseases, and pregnancy to consider. What are the practical solutions before the room gets entirely too hot to handle?

Sixty-three percent of women who practice contraception use nonpermanent methods, primarily hormonal methods (the pill, patch, implant, injectable and vaginal ring), the IUD and condoms. The rest rely on female or male sterilization (Mosher & Jones, 2010).

There continues to be a need for pro-active decision making with contraception and a very important two-way street when it comes to the practice of this.  The need to discuss and have a plan in place should be at the top of every sexually active partnership for the prevention of unwanted pregnancies, and for the aid in prevention of sexually transmitted infections or diseases with those who do not have a regular and trusted partner.

Reference

Mosher WD and Jones J, Use of contraception in the United States: 1982–2008, Vital and Health Statistics, 2010, Series 23, No. 29, <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_029.pdf>, accessed June 25, 2012. Retrtieved from http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contr_use.html